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State on high alert to check swine flu
More Tamiflu medicine sought
Don’t panic, virus is curable
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SMO removes blood bank AC
Badals thank Nurmahal voters
News Analysis
Monthly tests to assess students’ performance
1,000 acres to come under net house cultivation
PSEB issues guidelines to save power
Ill-treatment of Dalit tea vendor
Tourist police for Ropar
Free treatment facility for students
Right to self-defence no licence to kill: HC
Court comes to rescue of land purchaser
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State on high alert to check swine flu
Amritsar, June 16 Meanwhile, the third suspected case of Avtar Singh, who had arrived from England yesterday, was also found negative. Hence, all three suspected cases have been found negative. Earlier, reports of a three-year-old boy, who had arrived from Germany with his parents on June 14, and MLA Beas Manjinder Singh Kang were detected to be negative. Civil Surgeon Lehmbar Singh said three teams had been pressed for screening passengers alighting from 42 international flights every week. Each team, comprising two doctors and two health inspectors, screened suspected passengers. He said announcements elaborating symptoms of swine flu were made in aircraft, besides getting a form filled from passengers with simple questions. Sources in the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said the entire immigration, customs, airlines and AAI staff at the airport have been provided facemasks, as they were the first to interact with the passengers arriving by international flights. BATHINDA: Gurbinder Singh, who travelled with the seven Jalandhar students on a Qatar Airlines flight, did not show signs of swine flu when the doctors here tested him on Tuesday. He would be put on Tamiflu dose on Wednesday, doctors said. No symptoms of swine flu have been found on Gurbinder Singh, said civil surgeon Neelam Bajaj. Although Dr Babaj claimed that necessary arrangements had been made in the civil hospital to tackle any case of swine flu by “creating an isolation ward”. But during a visit to the district hospital in the evening, this correspondent did not find any such ward where patients suffering from swine flu could be quarantined. The doctor on duty said the swine flu patients would be treated in the trauma ward, but he had not received specific orders for the purpose. Earlier during the day, the health authorities said any swine flu case here could be reported and medical aid sought by contacting phone Nos. 0164-2212501, 9417118604 (district health officer) and 9876154218 (civil surgeon). However, insensitivity of the nodal officers came to the fore as they did not attend to test calls on these numbers by this correspondent. SANGRUR: In view of the detection of swine flu cases in various parts of the country, including Punjab, the district health authorities have set up a control room at the office of the Civil Surgeon here. District health officer Ramesh Bansal will supervise the functioning of the control room, while district TB officer Surinder Singla will function as nodal officer for the purpose. Civil Surgeon Dalip Kumar said instructions had been issued to the authorities of the local Civil Hospital and the subdivisional hospitals to make available necessary medicines to tackle the swine flu cases. He appealed to people that, in case, they found any suspected case of swine flu in their respective areas, they should immediately inform the district control room at telephone No. 01672-234186 or Dr Bansal’s mobile phone No. 98721-22000 or Dr Singla’s mobile phone No. 98145-70531. NAWANSHAHR: The health authorities have set up a helpline for receiving any report or query in this regard. District health officer Dr Ashok Guru has been appointed as the nodal officer for the purpose. His mobile No. 98760-91111 will function as the helpline number. The doctor said as the Nawanshahr Civil Hospital was short of space for setting up of an isolation ward, an alternative arrangement would be made in Banga and Balachaur for which a meeting had been convened on Wednesday.
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More Tamiflu medicine sought
Chandigarh, June 16 Health Department officials said though there was adequate supply of Tamiflu medicine presently, they did not want to take any chances due to a large number of students, parents and NRIs expected to visit the state during the summer months from countries which had reported a large number of swine flu cases. Due to this, a requisition for 10,000 capsules of Tamiflu has been made to the Director General, Health Services. The personal protective kits are needed to protect doctors and para medic staff, while the VTM vials are needed to send samples of nasal swabs taken from suspect patients to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi, under the required temperature. Both kits and the vials will be supplied to civil hospitals in all districts, Deputy Director, Malaria Control, Dr VS Mohi disclosed here today. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has extended the high alert to all civil surgeons in the state, besides making a 24-hour control room at the headquarters here. The situation was also reviewed at a special meeting held under the Secretary, Health, and it was revealed that there was no likelihood of any large scale swine flu pandemic spreading in the state. However, it was decided that a high alert would be observed at both the Amritsar international airport and at the Attari and Wagah checkpoints on the border with Pakistan till such time the pandemic raged in other parts of the world.
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Don’t panic, virus is curable
Jalandhar, June 16 Allaying the fear from the minds of the general public, nodal officer for swine flu in Punjab Dr Deepak Bhatia says there is no need to worry as it is curable in most of the cases, but precaution has to be taken to avoid its spreading as it is a communicable disease. Echoing his statement, Dr Bhawani Singh of the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), Delhi, says there is no need to panic as there is less than 2 per cent mortality rate for swine flu patients. Dr Bhawani is one of the four members of an NICD team led by Dr Shah Hussain which is camping in Jalandhar for guiding and providing technical assistance to the medical staff here for properly handling swine flu cases. Also Chandigarh-based project coordinator of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP), Dr Bhatia further says swine flu is curable in most of the cases within a week with anti-flue drug Oseltamivir sold under the trade name of Temiflu in our country (manufactured by CIPLA). Dr Bhatia, leading the two-member IDSP team, including Dr Amarjeet Kaur camping in Jalandhar, reveals that swine flu spreads through direct contact with infected pigs and in some cases infected humans through coughing, sneezing or touching infected surfaces and then touching one’s mouth, nose and eyes. Dr Bhatia says if two of the symptoms of this disease, including fever, sneezing, sore throat, running nose, headache and watery eyes, appears in any person, especially if he has come from endemic nations like Mexico, Canada and the US or remains in direct or indirect contact with a swine flu patient, he should immediately contact any of the helpline numbers or the civil surgeon or DHO of his district. Dr Bhawani Singh and Dr Bhatia say all those persons, including their parents and relatives who remained in contact with the swine flu patients in the past few days, should remain indoor for at least a week. They should wear masks and be at least 6 feet between one another, they added. Meanwhile, Jalandhar Civil Surgeon SS Walia says several medical teams have been closely observing all such persons who have remained in contact with swine flu patients. No one should visit their houses, he advised. Dr Bhatia says proper and repeated hand washing should be done and close contact and shaking hands, especially with sick persons, should be avoided.
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SMO removes blood bank AC
Nabha, June 16 The SMO, who was already having an AC in his office, got this one mounted in his retiring room adjacent to his office. It is learnt that Ravinder, who has joined duty as SMO in the Civil Hospital in the town, is staying in that room as he has not taken possession of his official residence. Kohli said there was no use of the AC, as the refrigerator in the testing lab of the blood bank was out of order. He said as soon as his office got a new AC, this one would be sent back to the blood bank. The senior district health officer said nobody was authorised to remove the AC from the blood bank. Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla assured to look into the matter.
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Badals thank Nurmahal voters
Chandigarh, June 16 The Chief Minister said with this result, the SAD-BJP government rededicates itself to building a new Punjab, free from poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and social evils. He thanked voters and party workers for ensuring the victory of party candidate from Nurmahal. Meanwhile, SAD President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also hailed the outcome of the Nurmahal by-poll results.
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News Analysis
Chandigarh, June 16 The SAD regained the Nurmahal seat even after fielding political greenhorn Rajwinder Kaur Bhullar, who defeated a Congress veteran Gurbinder Singh Atwal by 15,053 votes, a margin even the SAD leadership admits to be surprising. The worry for the SAD was the rioting in Jalandhar, following the assassination of Sant Ramanand of Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Vienna that polarised the voters into three categories, namely Dalits, Jats and urban Hindus. There may be many reasons for the Congress candidate’s defeat. These include lack of interest in the Congress leadership in the by-poll and deliberate distancing from the poll by some leaders, especially those who have at some point represented adjoining assembly segments. These leaders feared that a victorious Congress leader from the Nurmahal segment may be a potential candidate from the constituencies they represent or represented after Nurmahal ceases to exist in the next general election owing to delimitation. One positive thing reflected by the by-poll is that the perceived erosion of social fabric in Punjab is under check. Incidents like those involving Dera Sacha Sauda last year and the Jalandhar riots this time suggested polarisation on the basis of caste. The ruling SAD had come to be viewed as the party representing the Jat Sikhs, the BJP as representative of the “bania” community and the Congress as a party of the aam admi. But the votes polled by the SAD suggest that both Dalits and the aam admi voted for the SAD. Sukhbir said, “I am pleased with the victory not for the success alone, but from the fact that the poll result reflects a composite mandate of a united fabric of Punjab”. The Ramdasias, the entire following of Dera Sachkhand, had shown a strong anti-government sentiment following tough measures against rioters, many of whom were from this community. The upper caste too turned against the government for what it perceived to be “failure of the government” in dealing with the situation. But this sentiment did not surface in the bye-poll. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s Media Advisor Harcharan Bains said, “The government demonstrated a policy of restraint, mixing it with tact and firmness”. SAD politicians feel that the Congress leadership tried to exploit the Ramdassia card, but this was countered with Sukhbir’s poll management skills and a clear directive to the administration to deal with rioters firmly.
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Monthly tests to assess students’ performance
Chandigarh, June 16 The tests will be held on every Monday in the first period in the beginning of the month in certain chosen subjects. The decision will be affecting almost 10 lakh students in the state. A brainchild of education minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur, the first of these tests was held last month in all government school as an experiment. “We have further decided that the marks obtained by the students in these tests will be counted in the final examination score. The house tests and the monthly test together will contribute towards 20 per cent of the total testing marks. However, for classes where the Punjab School Education Board holds the annual examination, the score of the monthly tests will not be added in the final score,” she said. Director-general School Education, Punjab, Krishan Kumar said the question paper for the monthly tests would be prepared centrally and would be common across the state. “The syllabus has been divided into equal parts and the question papers would be set according to the syllabus covered in a month,” he said. He added that each school has been provided with software to facilitate the compilation of the marks obtained by each student in the test through the year. “It is web-based software and results of each school can be monitored centrally,” said Krishan Kumar.
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1,000 acres to come under net house cultivation Chandigarh, June 16 The Agriculture and Horticulture Departments will facilitate the construction of net houses in 500 acres each. The Horticulture Department, which had pleaded that it did not have staff to undertake this work, will now be able to recruit 80 agriculture graduates. Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal recently cleared the case for the payment of an additional Rs 4,000 a month to the graduates in addition to the Rs 8,000 per month they will get from the National Horticulture Mission funds after an appeal by state Farmers Commission Chairman Dr GS Kalkat. The Farmers Commission has demonstrated the net house technology involving pipes to create a structure which is covered with a net and fitted with double door. Since then, teething problems, particularly use of low-strength pipes, have been sorted out. Though this has witnessed a near doubling in the per canal cost of the net house structure from Rs 50,000 per canal to Rs 90,000 canal, it has also made them more durable and resistant to high winds. The subsidy quotient has also been increased to Rs 40,000 per canal. According to Farmers Commission member Dr PS Rangi efforts are being made to target small farmers to take on net house cultivation due to the high yields as well as profit margins. He said the commission had recommended planting of
toma to, capsicum, cucumber and brinjal and was offering two units of net houses of one canal each to small farmers. He said this entailed a cost of Rs 1.80 lakh of which
Rs 80,000 was the subsidy quotient. Till now 275 net houses have come up in Punjab. The Farmers Commission has fixed a target of reaching out to one lakh farmers and ensuring 10,000 hectares are put under net house cultivation. Dr Rangi maintains that more vegetables under net houses will not cause a glut in markets as such vegetables arrive early and stay on late. He said talks were also on with multi-national firms to transport at least 15 per cent of this produce out of the state. Small farmers are apparently upbeat about returns from net houses, which yield at least 2.5 times more vegetables than those grown in normal fields. Amarjit Singh of Mohali says he earns around Rs 1.50 lakh from his 2-kanal area. He says the net house is very cost effective as traditional green houses cost around
Rs 7 lakh per kanal and are beyond the limits of small farmers. Another farmer Ram Singh said though high-speed winds could damage nets, local tailors could easily stitch replacements. In Punjab around three lakh farmers operate less than 5 acres of land. It is these farmers, who constitute 30 per cent of the total farm holding who are being targeted for net house cultivation as well as dairy farming.
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PSEB issues guidelines to save power
Sangrur, June 16 The PSEB has directed its officers in the field to ensure the switching off of streetlights after 11 pm daily in their respective areas. The officers have also been directed to get the instructions noted from the persons concerned in municipal corporations, municipal committees, notified area committees or nagar panchayats throughout the state. The PSEB has also urged all consumers using power for illumination of signboards, hoardings, ads and buildings etc shall be required to switch off such lights after 10 pm daily.
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Ill-treatment of Dalit tea vendor
Gurdaspur, June 16 Dalip Singh Pandhi, member of the commission, while talking to TNS here this evening said atrocities committed on a Dalit tea vendor by policemen on his refusal to supply them tea free of cost was a serious matter and the commission would ensure that the guilty cops should be punished as per law. He added that in the notices, which would be issued to the DC and the district police chief, the commission would ask them why no offence under the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Caste Act was made out against the guilty policemen. Yashpal and Amanual Masih, two policemen posted in the Nushera Majha Singh police post, tied Ramesh with a chain to a tree after handcuffing him. Ramesh’s fault was that he refused to supply tea free of cost to them. Yashpal and Amanual were placed under suspension and a case under Sections 342 and 34, IPC, was registered against them.
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Tourist police for Ropar
Ropar, June 16 “As the Khalsa Heritage Project, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Bhakra Dam and Naina Devi Shrine fall in the district, the area has tremendous tourism potential. So, we have decided to have tourist police here,” Ropar SSP Laxmi Kant Yadav said. “The area also attracts a large number of NRI Sikh visitors and foreign delegations that come here in connection with study of religion or for visiting national and international wetlands in Nangal and Ropar areas,” the SSP added. The police has formed a team of seven cops that held interactive sessions with international tourists. The group was introduced to a team from Finland that had come to visit Anandpur Sahib a week ago. The police personnel met the team at Kikar Lodge in Nurpur Bedi. The police team comprised SHO of the Nurpur Bedi police station Harpreet Singh, Anandpur Sahib police post in charge Gurcharan Singh, head constables Shish Singh from Ropar, Paramjit Singh from Chamkaur Sahib, Satnam Singh from Ropar, Nazar Singh from Morinda and Sushila Devi from Anandpur Sahib. “The team will be told about tourist policing,” Yadav added. The SSP said the team would be of help to the tourists and would ensure foolproof security to them. Nazar Singh from the Morinda police station said the team would be of help to domestic as well as foreign tourists. “Security of tourists will be the main concern for us. We have been directed to ensure that no tourist faces harassment for want of security or legal guidance,” Yadav said.
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Free treatment facility for students
Ropar, June 16 Chawla said school students suffering from cardiac problems and cancer would be given free treatment. Not only the government hospitals, but also the private ones had been roped in to provide advanced treatment for the two deadly ailments. Hospitals such as Dayanand Medical College, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, and Fortis had been approached in that context. The facility of free treatment to students had been already started in OPDs of various hospitals. She emphasised the need to strengthen medical facilities and networking in the state to meet the needs of the people. Recruiting new staff members, including doctors, paramedics and other employees, and improving the existing infrastructure at government hospitals would remain the core areas of concern for the Health Department, she added. She said the department had launched a campaign to check entry of spurious or synthetic eatables in the market. The department was working in coordination with the police to achieve the objective. It had even managed to confiscate a large haul of spurious milk, milk products and other eatables. President of the Ropar Press Club Bahadurjit apprised the minister about the activities and achievements of the club. He later proposed a vote of thanks.
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Right to self-defence no licence to kill: HC
Chandigarh, June 16 The ruling by a Division Bench of Justice KS Garewal and Justice Nawab Singh came in connection with a petition by Rajiv Kumar and Rajesh Kumar of Ferozepur. The duo was sentenced to life in July, 2000, for the murder of one Amarjit Singh and causing injuries to Kulwinder Singh. The incident occurred on January 4, 1998. Amarjit Singh, emerging from Kulwinder Singh’s house, was allegedly attacked for appearing as a witness against Rajesh. Taking up the matter, the Bench observed: “It is true the prosecution version is supported by the evidence of an injured eyewitness. What an injured says is given more weight, because his presence is seldom doubted. Kulwinder Singh had two injuries, he was present and whatever he testified during the trial was bound to be accepted. But what cannot be accepted is his failure to explain how the main accused Rajesh Kumar was injured....” “According to Rajesh Kumar, he was attacked by Amarjit Singh and two others and he defended himself with a knife which he picked up from a nearby fruit shop. He stabbed Amarjit Singh in self-defence….” “In the present case, in the absence of an explanation regarding the injury to Rajesh Kumar, we are inclined to accept that Rajesh Kumar acted in self-defence when he stabbed Amarjit Singh, but he exceeded this right. He had minor injuries on the face and simple superficial injury on the hand. These injuries show that he was present and had been attacked with some sharp-edged weapons by Amarjit Singh.” “A person who receives simple injuries may inflict grievous injuries in self-defence, but if he inflicts such injuries which lead to the death of a person, then he has exceeded the right to self-defence.” The Bench held: “Rajesh Kumar is not guilty of murder, but an offence under Section 304 Part-II of the IPC, as he exceeded the right of private self-defence in causing injuries to Amarjit Singh”. Acquitting Rajiv Kumar, Rajesh Kumar was sentenced to five-year jail under Section 304 Part-II; and fined Rs 2 lakh.
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Court comes to rescue of land purchaser
Chandigarh, June 16 Coming to his rescue, Justice Ranjit Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has not only ensured that the petitioner gets the land, but has virtually passed strictures on “the state of Punjab and its functionaries” for not ending his agony by considering facts in the “correct perspective”. Taking up the petition against the Punjab Financial Commissioner (Appeals) and others respondents, Justice Ranjit Singh ruled: “The petitioner is an “auction purchaser” of land, but is yet to get possession thereof and has spent all these years in one court or the other. This should not be the plight of a person, who happens to participate in an auction organised by the state. The state and its functionaries have also not considered the facts in the correct perspective to arrive at proper decision to end the agony of the petitioner.” Justice Ranjit Singh observed, “The trouble for the petitioner started when he purchased land in an open auction held by the Rehabilitation Department on December 12, 1976. The land purchased measured 12 acres 10 units, and sale was confirmed in favour of the petitioner on September 12, 1978. The possession of the property was, however, not delivered…. The petitioner has not been fairly treated…. Sometime, he is held entitled to entire land for which he had deposited the amount and sometime he is held entitled to a part of the land.” “The authorities should have realised that there is no fault on the part of the petitioner, who had participated in the auction and purchased the land. Despite having deposited the amount, the petitioner has not been able to enjoy the fruit of the property. Somehow or the other, the case has been remanded on more than one occasion to find out the same things that were earlier gone into and determined.” Before parting with the orders, Justice Ranjit Singh directed: “The land bought by the petitioner in the auction be finalised. The settlement commissioner and tehsildar, Batala, are directed to proceed further in the matter and do the needful.”
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